North Carolina Governor vetoes bill that would ban most abortions after 12 weeks before mob indicted

North Carolina’s Democrat governor vetoed a bill that would virtually ban abortion in his state — setting the stage for a clash with the Republican-controlled House and Senate.

Roy Cooper, who is a strong proponent of freedom of choice, held a rally in his capital, Raleigh, on Saturday.

In front of a crowd waving signs that read “politicians are worthless doctors,” Cooper waved his rubber veto stamp.

“There are three things I must do,” he declared.

“First I need a veto—an official veto that I have to sign. The second thing I have to do is veto it.”

The crowd erupted in wild applause as the 65-year-old former attorney general dramatically stamped the document.

“The veto stamp has been applied. Now it’s time for me to sign under the veto stamp,” he said, pausing to sign.

“We now have a vetoed bill,” he thundered.

Such legislative procedures are usually carried out without fanfare and behind closed doors.

But Cooper’s high-profile performance illustrates the stakes of the battle: Republicans are now determined to override Cooper’s veto, and Cooper must fight to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Four Republicans — three members of the state House and one senator — have vowed to protect the right to abortion.

Their party leaders will try to convince them to give up their positions and follow the party line: Cooper intends to keep them on his side.

If both chambers approve the repeal by a three-fifths majority, the bill becomes law. If it doesn’t get the votes, Cooper’s veto will stand.

The bill whizzed through the legislature in less than 48 hours in early May, drawing criticism from Democrats and abortion rights advocates, who pushed for a period of longer analysis and debate typical of such legislation.

The measure would ban elective abortions after 12 weeks, except in cases of rape, incest, life-limiting fetal abnormalities and medical emergencies.

It would also require doctors to be present when abortion medication is given and for those seeking medical abortions to have an in-person consultation with a doctor 72 hours before the procedure.

That would make it harder for out-of-state abortion seekers to get the service in North Carolina.

Republican lawmakers called the bill “common sense laws” that represented a compromise that fell short of the more restrictive bans opposed by a majority of American voters.

Democratic opponents called it “devastatingly cruel” and said it would force women to seek illegal abortions.

The bill includes funding for foster and child care and paid parental leave.

Kamala Harris, the vice president, condemned the bill, tweeting on May 4 that the bill was “extreme” and put women’s lives at risk.

“North Carolina Republicans have passed an extreme ban on abortion that would disrupt critical medical care and endanger women’s health and lives,” she said.

“@POTUS and I will continue to fight to restore Roe’s protection under federal law.”

Cooper told the rally on Saturday: “This bill has nothing to do with making women safer, but everything to do with banning abortion.

“If only one Republican finds the courage, if only one Republican listens to doctors, if only one Republican is not afraid to stand up to the political bosses, if only one Republican keeps that promise to the people, then we can stop this ban . ‘

Demi Dowdy, a spokesman for Tim Moore, Speaker of the Republican House CNN she is confident that lawmakers will override Cooper’s veto and reject his efforts to “pressurize these Republican members to vote for him.”

Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the anti-abortion group North Carolina Values ​​Coalition, criticized Cooper for vetoing the bill and for holding his meeting the day before Mother’s Day.

“His actions would destroy provisions to give women more opportunities to choose life, improve clinic safety standards and end the barbaric, painful practice of partial birth abortion,” she said.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that advocates for abortion rights, nearly total abortion bans have gone into effect in 14 states since the U.S. Supreme Court repealed federal abortion rights in June 2022.

According to a study by the Society of Family Planning, a nonprofit organization that promotes abortion rights and research, North Carolina’s abortion rate rose 37 percent in the first two months after the ruling, more than any other state.

North Carolina was a haven for women seeking abortion care as Southern states tightened restrictions.